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Praline Charlottes
Praline Charlottes is the fifth recipe featured in Lemon Meringue Pie Murder. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., with rack in middle position. Ingredients * Cookies ** 1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks) ** 1 1/2 cups brown sugar ** 2 teaspoons vanilla ** 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda ** 1 teaspoon baking powder ** 1 teaspoon salt (decrease to 1/2 teaspoon if you use salted pecans) ** 1 1/2 cups finely ground pecans (grind them up in your food processor with the steel blade and measure AFTER grinding) ** 2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork) ** 3 cups flour (no need to sift) * Frosting ** 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) ** 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (not sifted) ** 2 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoons almond flavoring) ** 1/3 cup cream ** 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans ** Approx. 6 dozen pecan halves for decoration (optional) Directions * Cookies ** Microwave the butter in your mixing bowl to melt it. Add the sugar and vanilla. Stir until blended, and then add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. ** Grind the pecans in your food processor. (Remember to measure AFTER grinding.) Add them to the bowl and mix. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir. Then add the flour and mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended. ** Let the dough sit for a few minutes to firm up. Then form dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (If the dough is too sticky to form into balls, chills for a few minutes and try again.) ** Flatten the balls with a fork in a crisscross pattern. (If the fork sticks, either spray it with Pam or dip it in flour.) ** Bake at 350 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until they're golden brown around the edges. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When they're cool, prepare the frosting. * Frosting ** Before you start, arrange the cooled cookies on racks or on sheets of waxed paper. Then heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns a medium shade of brown (the color of peanut butter). ** Remove the pan from the heat, and add the vanilla (and the almond flavoring, if you use it). ** Blend in the powdered sugar, the cream, and the finely chopped pecans. Stir the frosting with a spoon until it's well mixed, but don't let it cool completely. ** Frost the cookies and place a pecan half (optional) on top of each cookie for decoration. (It's like spreading butter; you don't have to spread it all the way out to the edges.) If your frosting hardens before you're through, scrape it into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 30 seconds to 1 minute on high in the microwave to soften it so you can spread it again. ** Let the finished cookies rest on racks or on waxed paper until the frosting has hardened (at last an hour). Then store the cookies in a cookie jar or other closed container. Yield Approximately 8 dozen, depending on cookie size. Hannah's Note These cookies, unfrosted, make a delicious "tea" cookie with a light, delicate flavor. The only changes you have to make are to roll the dough balls smaller and press them down with the heel of your impeccably clean hand. Bake them for about 8 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden. Andrea says they're EXCELLENT with hot chocolate,